


Family

by CreepyLittleLullaby



Category: Captain America Civil War, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Accidental Death, Adoption, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Pepper Potts, BAMF Tony Stark, Character Death, Civil War Team Iron Man, Coma, F/M, Hospitalization, Hurt Peter, Hurt Peter Parker, Minor Character Death, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark Friendship, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter-centric, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 07:36:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14374014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreepyLittleLullaby/pseuds/CreepyLittleLullaby
Summary: At the end of the day, all you have left is family right?What did it say about Peter when in one phone call he lost even that?





	Family

            “Your Aunt’s in the hospital, she’s currently in critical condition.” Oh god it hurt, it hurt to bad. Peter gripped the phone, carefully, but his knuckles turned white against the car door that he gripped, ignoring the small creaking of the car arm rest groaning in protest. Peter still felt like he was spiraling down and out of control. He couldn’t. May. No. She was in critical. She was still alive. She’d pull through, she was strong.

“Is there anyone you can call, anyone you can stay with while this gets sorted out? Anyone I could call?” Peter grimaced, looking out the car window, Mr. Stark was there with Happy, both were arguing over the hot dog cart, smiles on their faces. Looking truly relaxed since the shit show that was Germany. Peter bit his lip. May had to be strong to face this. But he has to be strong too. Tears burn behind his eyes, unseen. His head begins to ache from the effort of bottling everything up. It was going to be a hell of a panic attack when he made it home.

To his home. May’s home.

He had to be strong.

            Peter gripped a little tighter, but forced his voice to come out evenly, “Yeah. My godfather always wants an excuse to kidnap me for a weekend. I’m sure he won’t mind me staying with him or him coming to stay at our place for a while… can I call you to figure everything out when I get home. I’m still driving home from the airport…”

            “Of course, Mr. Parker! I’m glad to hear it. Call me back with the address of your godfather or tell me if it will just be your address, and we’ll get all the paper work so he can sign it and take care of everything.”

            “Of course.” And Peter hangs up. Not minding the hollow echo of his voice, before the door opens at the scent of hot dogs and sauerkraut assaults his nose. Peter immediately schools his expression into something more neutral. Mr. Stark still looks at him oddly. Even when he hides his still clenched fist.

            “Is everything okay spider-kid?” The clack of Happy opening his door is too loud and the world hurts to breathe in, but Peter buries it. Allows himself to tuck in his phone and adjust his jacket tighter against his shoulders and _smiles_.

            “Of course.”

\---

            Forging an email address and getting a few records was nothing. The firewalls in most places were nearly nonexistent. Passwords were a joke. So, living alone under the guise of a generous godfather was easy. Living alone literally, was not. Peter sighed, slumping into the couch. It was nearly four in the morning. Between homework, visiting May, and going on patrol Peter didn’t know what to do.

            Worker’s comp was covering May and his expenses for now, and the apartment was paid for. The trust from Peter’s parents also kicked in with the dire circumstances. A fail safe for Peter, it had been for college. But food and electricity were trumping the thoughts of higher education, a distance dream at this rate.

            Balancing a job, patrol, college expenses, and classes seemed impossible. Even with his small part time job selling pictures to the Daily Bugle. Peter wrapped his arms around his midsection and fell on his back with a groan. Staring up at the ceiling as his body hit the cushions with a thud. His eyes burned as he bit his lip.

            The doctors told him today-yesterday, May wasn’t looking good. Faulty work equipment, an accident. And after a month of being completely unresponsive and steadily declining, they were having Peter start to settle her affairs. Start think about pulling the plug. And Peter knew exactly what that meant.

            It meant he’d be alone again.

            The last Parker.

            And the social workers were gonna have a ball hassling him into a home when his ‘godfather’ was proved to be either gone, or nonexistent. Peter would lose his home, his freedom, most likely his school. Everything would just be… gone.

            Because nothing ever lasts for Peter.

            Peter rubbed his eyes roughly, arms shaking with agitation. Everything was too much, he felt like he was suffocating and he could feel the beginning of a panic attack beginning. The oversensitivity grabbing at him with claws and digging. The clothing on his body, a thin t-shirt and pajama pants felt like felt blankets over heating him. Itchy and rough. Everywhere felt hot and every car passing and honking felt like a train running through Peter’s skull. Peter moaned again and pulled a pillow over his face. Lungs shuttering as he held back another sob.

            Why was it always him?

\---

            School luckily, was ever and consistently boring.

            At least it never changed.

            The slap of his beat-up converse on the plain tiles of the school hallway was oddly comforting, quieter than usual. Even Flash’s snide comments and sly aggressive acts were at least a semblance of normal. The hype of it being Friday, girls giggling at the lockers. Going to classes, decathlon, tests. Ned and MJ. It was a constant rock. Chemistry helped him make his web fluid.

            It was a routine. Stable. Just what he needed.

            Of course, life decided to take that from him too.

            “Peter, the office is calling you down. You can grab your things from your locker?” The confusion and counting off what he might’ve gotten in trouble for only last for a few seconds before he saw the look on the teacher’s face. He’d seen the same look in her eyes before. At Ben’s funeral. The vague memories and pictures of his mother and father’s funeral. It was like his heart turned into stone as his stomach dropped. Achingly cold as he robotically nodded his head. Gathering his stuff and almost floating out of the door, head already spinning in thoughts.

            God why.

            May, god, why.

            Yet, he didn’t even cry, he felt numb as he went to the office. Allowed one of the office ladies to give him a pass to leave school and convinced her to let him just take the subway. Mostly by being blunt. He had no one else to call anyway. The pity and guilt in her eyes just added to the weight on Peter’s lung. He felt like he was drowning and everyone else around him was still breathing. Watching with sorrow.

            They didn’t get it. He didn’t blame them. He didn’t want them to have to understand.

            It still sucked.

            To be all alone.

            Peter stayed in his daze as he rode the subway, trudging to the hospital where all that awaited him was more sympathy. More people pushing him to make decisions, help affairs, plan a funeral, get shoved into a foster home. Become the state’s problem because there was really no one else to deal with him.

            It was surprising just how little he realized he cared. It felt like he was in a whole different place. A foggy, empty place. Peter didn’t know what he preferred, the hollow and empty feeling that had his aching heart rolling and knocking on all the empty and hard walls. Or the feelings of drowning, gnawing grief. Suffocating and nausea inducing.

            Not even the bright lights of the hospital startled his senses as he methodically went to the nurse’s station, allowing May’s usual nurse to sit him down. Staring at the wall blankly as she wrapped him in a deep hug. Murmuring softly in his ear and running her hands through the back of his hair.

            Was it weird that he couldn’t even feel her?”

\---

            The kid had been acting strange, Tony glanced at his phone again. The screen was blank, and a look to Happy got him a similar shake of the head and the display of an empty phone screen. The kid always texted Happy, hell, Tony got those text forwarded to him. It was almost hilarious, the little texts and voicemails of the spider-kid’s shenanigans in New York. Yet since Germany the texts had dwindled down. Nothing from him. The last text had been sent on Tuesday, and it was Friday. If YouTube hadn’t been ever so reliable in reporting videos (funny and serious) about the spider Tony wouldn’t have even known the kid was still patrolling.

            God, what if he got hurt in Germany, like bad? Broken ribs were a risk, and even with the kid’s super healing if they healed wrong or didn’t heal at all it would feel like lava hell in his chest. Tony had experience with that. The kid also felt like him in the sense that he’d try to work through it until he dropped without telling anyone else.

            Oh Jesus, he was a mentor for barely a month and he was already failing. 

            He hadn’t even seen Peter with the Accords and the ‘Civil War’ hoarding his life and time. But that wasn’t an excuse. Peter deserved so much better than that. Tony slammed down his phone onto the coffee shop table abruptly. “Happy, give me the number to Peter’s school. He’s skipping class today, I’ll call May later. I’ll say it’s an emergency for the internship. Teenagers like food, right? I’ll take him out for lab time and food. It’ll be great.”

            Also, the fact that Peter would not be able to hide any injuries behind a phone screen when Tony would poke him with a screwdriver. It was a fool proof method! Happy rolled his eyes at his boss before forking over his own phone that already had the number saved. Tony grabbed and shoved the other half of his pastry at Happy as gratitude and held the phone up to his ear.

            “Midtown High School of Science and Technology, how may I help you today?”

            Tony grinned and used his best press tone, “Hello, I was wondering I could call about calling a student out of school. Peter Benjamin Parker?” The woman on the line went quiet, something about the atmosphere made Tony’s alarm bells go off, silently tensing.

            “May… May I ask of your relations to Mr. Parker?” Tony frowned, looking at Happy for help. Who shrugged, giving a look that told Tony he was on his own. Which made the mechanic scowl, before putting a pleasant voice back on.

            “I’m a friend of the family. May and I have been friends for years.” Tony listened to some shuffling papers before he heard the woman give a little gasp. Something that sounded a bit like the sound Pepper made when she found a way to work a deal in her favor. Hopeful.

            “You wouldn’t happen to be his godfather, would you?” Tony grinned.

            “Of course.” Shit, he hoped this wasn’t going to bite him in the ass later.

            “Oh good, good, does this mean… I mean… do you know about it… I mean May?” Tony’s eyebrows shot up to his hair line, even Happy seemed to perk to life a little bit more, starting to reach for his keys and shift in his seat.

            “What happened?” Tony heard a sigh on the other end of the line.

            “May has been in that coma since the accident you know, right?” What? Tony fell completely silent. “Today, she… she’s gone. I just sent Peter to go to the hospital. Queens Neuro? By Forest Hills. Should I try and call him to let him know you’re coming… are you coming?” Tony snapped out of his stupor.

            “No. No. I tried to text him already. I’ll go get him. He won’t be alone right now, thank you. They didn’t call me. I’m sorry to bother you.” He heard a small laugh, it was almost tearful. It tugged at Tony’s chest as Happy sprang to life, grabbing the keys and going immediately to the car while Tony gathered his things as quick as he could with one hand.

            “God, life can’t give that kid a break. Thank you. I’m. I’m glad he’s still got someone in his corner.” And with that she hung up. Leaving Tony to his thoughts.

            He didn’t know. God, he didn’t know. How long had May been… how long had Peter been alone? How long had Peter been facing this alone? Peter was just a kid, he was fifteen for god’s sakes. Just… he was just a kid. Tony gripped the phone tighter, until his knuckles were white and shoved his thoughts to the side.

            Figuring things out was for later. Action was for right now.

            Tony grabbed his own phone immediately, briskly walking out of the café as he did so, “JARVIS, I want you to let Pepper know what’s happened and give her full clearance, what she says goes. And I want my legal team to draw up some paper work, immediately. I want it in my hands yesterday. Also let the hospital know and get them to stave off the social workers and hand over the affairs settlement. I’m not letting a teenager plan his own guardian’s funeral. Happy! Car, now! What’s the ETA?”

            “Roughly forty minutes boss.”

            “Make it twenty.” Happy only nodded and rushed into the driver’s seat as Tony shoved himself into the back seat as JARVIS let out an affirmative noise from Tony’s phone before going silent to do all of his tasks.

            God, he really hoped he wasn’t too late, that he hadn’t failed this kid completely yet.

\---

            When Peter was a kid, he had no shame in admitting he’d always been a little different, he was secure enough in himself that he had no qualms saying that he’d always dreamed of having a knight in shining armor. Those young and bright days when his seven-year-old mind conjured images of a white steed and a tall armored knight.

            Eight years later, Peter was surprised to see that his knight in armor did exist. Two in fact. One in the form of a tall red head with a striking suit and pencil skirt with killer heels worth more than his entire apartment. Peter’s eyes widened at the sight of her, just like hers did at the sight of his blood shot eyes and pale skin, before a small smile moved on her face and he was held in another hug, this one shocking Peter a little more than the nurse.

            “Ms. Potts?” The red head scowled at him for that. Gently ruffling his hair in punishment as she sat next to him, Using her hold on his to pull him down to lean his lanky weight onto his shoulder. Coaxing him to finally relax until he was clinging to her like a child to its mother. Peter couldn’t help but go boneless in the hold. It was warm.

            Having a familiar person felt at least a little nice.

            “I am Pepper, how many times how I told you that Peter? Now hush now, Auntie Pepper is going to be taking care of this. Well the legalities of it, for now, you and I are going to sit here and enjoy the show, because I guarantee that he will- is already here.” Peter’s eyes lazily looked up in curiosity until his eyes fell on his idol and other knight in shining armor.  

            It was more of a short brunet in an Armani suit with a very disgruntled body-guard/driver. But Peter was not going to complain one bit about any of it. Even if the fact that any of them, that all of them showed up shocked Peter to his core. Even as he watched Tony rip into any of the hospital social workers that fluttered even near Peter and Pepper and smoothly got the two of them on their feet. Peter was in the familiar backseat of Happy’s car before he could blink, his mind still reeling from the shock and grief. Pepper and Happy were talking quietly in the front seat, small smiles being shared, and hushed tones. However, they did let Peter preserve a little dignity in the fact that they didn’t turn around. Peter was already having a hard time as Mr. Stark sat beside him. The shame and depression was just a huge mess.

            Still an arm was slug around his shoulders, it was almost scathingly hot, but Peter still didn’t shrug it off. His mind had stopped keeping up after even the soft keening of fabric scraping together sounded like an ambulance siren. The arm tightened and Peter slumped into the hold. Eyes shut tightly as his lungs constricted. Nearly silent sobs wracking his body as he just let himself be held.

            “It’s alright, it’s gonna be alright. I’ve got you. I got you.”

\---

            Forging documents to actually become the ‘good hearted god father’, was actually relatively easy. Hiding Peter from the press and vultures of the media, was a slice of cake with Pepper leading the defense squad. Coaxing Peter to eat and do human things was a little more difficult, but not as hard as it apparently was to get Tony to do things, so FRIDAY, had him down pat. Still, every stride since Tony had gotten Peter was a victory. One that simultaneously terrified and melted Tony to his very core. It was a scary thing to love someone so much, and know just how much they needed you. It… also felt good, to be admired, needed, loved. It made the little victories much sweeter.

            Like when two months passed and Peter was finally able to smile again, Tony grinned.

            Six months when Peter laughed, Tony saved any and all recordings.

            In a year when Peter finally was able to reminisce, Tony held a proud look.

            And in that span of time, when Peter finally called him ‘Dad’… Tony had no shame in saying he cried ugly tears. Truly horrific honestly. Peter could even say that he almost cried too, it was… a lot. It took a lot. To be a family.

            That’s what they truly were.

            Family.


End file.
